I wanted to talk to you today about a little strategy or technique that we can do that's very safe and effective for supporting that natural hormonal balance throughout our cycles. We know that our menstrual cycles are very important for our health as females. It's been said to be the fifth vital sign. I certainly believe that's true! When it arrives every month, on time, that helps us know that everything's working properly. The two main hormones, I would say, that we want to make sure are balanced when it comes to both our menstrual cycle and fertility windows are Estrogen and Progesterone. These are our two big players.
Seed Cycling
Seed cycling is a very safe way that we can help balance our menstrual cycles and fertility windows. If you've never heard of it I hope that you find this information very helpful. It's a very safe and effective way to help support those two hormones as they ebb and flow. At the beginning of your cycle, we call that the follicular phase, before ovulation. That's when those follicles are starting to mature and ripen and hopefully carry from one cycle to the next in that maturity process. We want to support good levels of Estrogen and we can do that with seeds. The two seeds that are most beneficial during that phase are raw, organic flaxseed and pumpkin seeds. Always use organic and raw with both of these seeds. We don't want to add any extra preservatives when we're doing this.
You want to grind the seeds to get the most nutritional benefit from them. You could put those in a coffee grinder or a powerful blender like a Vitamix. Once they're ground down, you can toss them in with a smoothie. I like to do unsweetened almond milk, a handful of spinach, throw my seeds in, maybe a chunk or two of pineapple, (keep it very simple, very basic). You can also make energy balls. There's some really good recipes out there. I would just steer away from things like added sugar that might contribute to inflammation. Also stay away from any unnecessary preservatives. Keep it as raw and as natural as possible.
You want to start day one of your cycle with this seed cycling protocol: raw flax seed and pumpkin seed. You'll want to continue that through ovulation. If you're not having cycles, which might be the case in menopause or someone with PCOS that's not getting those regular cycles, then you'll want to follow the moon. You would start day one on the new moon of each month, and then continue that through the first 14 days. Then, on day 15 you're going to switch because you're going to start to support the progesterone phase of your cycle.
During the progesterone phase, that is sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. Again, both very nutritional, dense seeds and they're going to help to support that natural Progesterone. Same thing as our follicular phase, we want them to be ground. Grind them and then add them to a generic smoothie or whatever works for you. Then, you will follow that through until the beginning of your next cycle. If you're not having menses, then you would do it through the start of the next new moon. You continue that and there's really no harm in continuing this for forever, even through menopause. We know that we can become deficient in both of those hormones during menopause. It's safe. It's effective. There's no harm that can be done, and you can continue it through pregnancy.
I hope this helps! Just to review:
Estrogen Phase | Progesterone Phase |
Raw, organic flaxseed & pumpkin seeds | Raw, organic sunflower seeds & sesame seeds |
Support Estrogen during follicular phase | Support Progesterone during luteal phase |
Day 1 - 14 | From ovulation to menses (or the start of the next moon phase) |
Make sure that you grind the seeds up so that you get the most nutrients from those seeds. They're yummy and delicious, and they are power packed with nutrients. This is an easy thing for you to add into your routine. I hope you try them and love them. It may not be for everyone, but for the majority of the population, this works great to support your natural hormonal cycle.
If you would like more information about this technique or how else you can support your body naturally, request more information or book a consultation. We would be happy to answer your questions so you can start using safe techniques to support your body today.